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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25657873">The Pines</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/paprikapog/pseuds/BACHIBAE'>BACHIBAE (paprikapog)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Blue Lock (Manga)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Bad Decisions, Child Neglect, Confrontations, Fluff, Forests, Late Night Conversations, M/M, Metaphors, Mutual Pining, Pining, Running Away, Slow Build, ball go whee, igarashi works at sonic drive in, mikage reo hates his parents, reo didn't go to blue lock, reo has NEVER pulled a prank before, ryuusei got eliminated for violence, they're stupid but in a good way</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 02:47:11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>9,975</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25657873</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/paprikapog/pseuds/BACHIBAE</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>All his life, Reo had done whatever his parents asked of him, looking only to keep them satisfied. Until one day, he didn't.</p><p>On that day, he also met Ryuusei, who had somehow shown him how to live in just a couple days.<br/><br/><em>or alternatively: the runaway story nobody asked for.</em></p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Mikage Reo/Shidou Ryuusei</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>27</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Pines</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>this was loosely inspired by a song, The Pines by 070 Shake, go give it a listen its really good! (though you don't have to listen while reading to understand or enhance the experience or any jazz like that lol)</p><p>also i love reusing the same nickname for reo lol bun is so cute</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Reo was being worked to the bone.</p><p>
  <em>"You're the heir to this corporation and a Mikage! You should know better than to skip meetings!"</em>
</p><p>It was like everyone around him was denying him the right to a childhood.</p><p>
  <em>"Why do you still want to play soccer? That doesn't get anyone anywhere, unless you have incredible luck. Our family works for our luck."</em>
</p><p>He was being guilt tripped into success.</p><p>
<em>"We provide so much for you, give you an incredible company to inherit, and yet you can't even try to be grateful? Of all the things we ask of you, you can't even do the bare minimum?"</em>
</p><p>Reo was beyond sick of it.</p><p><br/>
<br/>
He'd been taught all his life to just obey orders. Be seen, not heard. Don't speak until spoken to. Be a perfect toy for his parents to live through.</p><p>That's precisely why he was packing up a bag and going on a 'vacation' for an indefinite amount of time. Reo didn't exactly know where he was going, but anywhere far from his family's estate sounded perfect. He debated going to Nagi's, but then remembered he was doing some weird soccer training camp for who knows how long.</p><p>Maybe Reo would be there with him, had it not been for his parents.</p><p>Shaking himself out of his spiraling thoughts, he kept packing, looking around for whatever would be beneficial. He grabbed modest clothes that didn't scream 'net worth of 705.8B yen' and his wallet, filled only with money he earned himself. Everybody in his family was against him getting a part time job, but he got one anyways, hoping to cut off his dependency as soon as possible.</p><p>He quickly scribbled a note, <em>'Later.'</em> and stuck it on his bed where anyone could see it. A couple more belongings like a soccer ball, phone charger, and his favorite volume of manga and he was set.</p><p>Reo was running away from home. not forever, but just long enough to get himself under control. In his parents house, every day was just another day closer to a huge breakdown. It was strong enough to feel coming in his bones, and so he decided to just get himself away from the cause before that could happen.</p><p>He grabbed his car keys and left, leaving all his responsibilities and expectations behind. Before starting the car, Reo turned his phone on do not disturb. He didn't know how long he would ignore his phone, but he didn't want to see calls from his parents.</p><p>Reo left, going somewhere, anywhere he could find.</p><p><br/>
<br/>
An hour into his adventure had him freaking out in the bathroom of a gas station.</p><p>"What if they're looking for me, what if things get out of hand?" Reo whispered to himself in the mirror, running his hands through purple hair. He wasn't a fan of keeping it down, but his parents always insisted that he did.</p><p>His parents weren't there to tell him what to do though. So he tied it up in the bun he preferred, thinking it as sort of a big deal, one step closer to being free. Or he was just reading too deep into hairstyles.</p><p>Either way, there was a loud and jarring knock on the door that shook him out of his thoughts.</p><p>"Can you hurry up?" Came an annoyed voice from the other side of the door. Reo quickly realized that he was in a single person bathroom, and that he was also hogging it up at a busy gas station. He didn't blame the other guy for being mad.</p><p>Opening the door allowed the guy on the other side to shove past him, purposely bumping shoulders. Reo noticed the guy's tan skin and light hair, and quickly hoped mystery guy was his age, because he was hot.</p><p>Well, Reo thought, there was no point in hoping. Gas station guy would probably remain a stranger to him, and there were plenty of other hot guys anyways. He didn't think too hard about it and grabbed some snacks before hitting the road again, wondering where he was going to sleep once night came.</p><p>Wait.</p><p>Where was he going to sleep?</p><p>Reo completely forgot about that. There weren't any hotels around his city, so he would either have to go out of town, or stay at someone's house. Driving out of town wasn't really an issue, just time consuming and annoying.</p><p>He quickly paid for his snacks and went back out to his car, wondering if any of his friends would let him stay. Their parents would probably tell his own where he was, like usual. They were no help to him, and were probably in that training thing too.</p><p>Starting his car and going wherever the roads took him, Reo tried to ignore the afternoon sun, telling him to figure something out quickly.</p><p><br/>
<br/>
Reo found himself at a big empty field, where a pair of soccer goals stood across from each other. The evening sun shone orange on the field, and he felt nostalgic. It was the field his team would practice on when he was younger, when his parents allowed him to be on a team. Good times that they so selfishly took away.</p><p>He grabbed the soccer ball from the passenger seat and made his way to the field, ignoring his quiet anger, trying to distract it with practice. Since his parents didn't let him go to the training camp, he had no one to play with anymore and had become rusty. He still had no one, but at the very least there was a goal waiting for him to use it. Reo practiced for a good 30 minutes before he got interrupted.</p><p>"You having fun playing ball kick on your own, purple bun?" Came a voice from behind him. Reo whipped around to see who was talking to him, and there stood a boy, sun kissed tan skin contrasting his pale hair that framed his face.</p><p>It was that boy from the gas station, and Reo hated how quickly he recognized him.</p><p>"Not really, wanna come play?" Reo asked, ignoring how attractive he was when he could finally get a proper look.</p><p>"Hmm, I play rough. You still wanna try?" Rough? He didn't know how 'rough' soccer could be, but a practice partner is a practice partner.</p><p>"Yeah, one on one? And what's your name, if that's okay." The boy stretched for a moment, as if in thought.</p><p>"Ryuusei." He answered, making intense eye contact with him.</p><p>"Reo." Then, in an explosive way, (for lack of a better word) Ryuusei stole the ball from in between his legs and took off with it.</p><p>"Think I'll just call you purple bun, but thanks anyways!" He yelled out with the ball. Ryuusei moved in a way that forced Reo to pay attention, and god damn, was his attention stolen.</p><p>So he chased after Ryuusei, hoping to take back what was his and maybe even get a little more than he wanted.</p><p><br/>
<br/>
A couple hours passed by and they were taking a quick break.</p><p>"You're not half bad, bun! Why didn't I see you at blue lock, huh?" Ryuusei asked, taking a sip of water. Blue lock, Reo thought, that's the training camp Nagi was at.</p><p>"My parents didn't let me go, said it was a waste of time, but my friends Nagi and Zantetsu were there, if you ran into them." He replied, sitting down across from him.</p><p>Reo thought about blue lock for a moment. Everyone who was selected for it was under eighteen, so that meant Ryuusei was around his age, thankfully.</p><p>"Didn't ask about your shitty friends, but your parents uptight or something? We could've made a good team in there, from what I've seen." Ryuusei was really straightforward, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.</p><p>"Yeah, uptight doesn't even begin to describe them." Reo hissed. Ryuusei kept quiet, so he kept going. "They're so obsessed with me being a perfect 'model son', it's like the only reason they had me was to inherit the business." He wasn't going to mention what that business actually was, but he was still going to complain about it regardless.</p><p>"They're always telling me shit I can't do. 'You can't play soccer.' 'You can't miss meetings.' 'You can't do anything without our approval and we know you're not going to try disobeying us because we've trained you like a damn dog.' I can't even be myself around them, it's so bad." He paused for a second, hoping to stop his rage in its tracks.</p><p>Ryuusei just stared, not in shock or confusion, but like he was listening to every word Reo was saying.</p><p>Nobody had bothered listening to Reo's rants before, they always just told him to be grateful and quit complaining. Even Nagi and Zantetsu would tell him he was overreacting sometimes. A wave of guilt washed over Reo as he realized that he'd told Ryuusei his pathetic life story.</p><p>"Fuck, I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to overshare, it just sort of happened-" He began, flustered, before Ryuusei cut him off.</p><p>"You're fine, purple bun. So, was that all?" Reo relaxed, finding comfort in the nickname. For some reason, being called by either of his names right now would probably make him feel worse.</p><p>"Pretty much. I ran away, and now we're here." He quickly finished up and Ryuusei perked up at that.</p><p>"You ran away?" Reo gave a quick nod, but realized that wasn't entirely true.</p><p>"Well, I sort of just left without telling them and don't know when and if I'm going back. So maybe not 'ran away'." Ryuusei nodded in understanding and stood up, but not to get back to their game.</p><p>"So you didn't run away from home. Either way, you need somewhere to stay, right, rich boy?" Ryuusei held his hand out to help him up. He couldn't believe his luck. Not only was he given a place to crash, but a hot guy who was really good at soccer was the one providing. </p><p>"Are you offering yourself?" Reo dared with a smirk, to which Ryuusei gave as much fire back, if not more.</p><p>"And if I am?"</p><p>Reo lived all his life so far away from the edge.</p><p>So he ran directly towards it.</p><p>"I'll just have to take you up on that then. And what's with 'rich boy', huh?" he asked, taking Ryuusei's hand.</p><p>"Is that not your car over there?" Unsurprisingly enough, he pointed directly at Reo's car, parked not too far away.</p><p>Reo laughed a little sheepishly, embarrassed at how much his car stuck out and walked Ryuusei over. The sun was all the way down at that point and streetlamps lit up their soccer field.</p><p>"Okay, you caught me. but you're actually offering to let me stay at your place?" he asked, trying to get the topic off him being a 'rich boy'.</p><p>"Yeah, why not? Y'seem like a good kid with nowhere to go, and I have a couch. What, you scared I'm gonna kidnap you in your own expensive car?" Ryuusei joked while getting in, quickly snatching up the aux chord.</p><p>"No, but we just met. You're being awfully nice for only having learned each others' names a couple hours ago. Just curious as to why." Reo asked as he got in and started the car, but having no intention of going anywhere quite yet.</p><p>Scrolling through his playlists, Ryuusei's face scrunched up in annoyance. Did he hit a nerve?</p><p>"D'you want a place to crash or not?" His grip on his phone tightened as he glared down at it. Reo decided not to pry any more, he really shouldn't be pushing his luck anyway.</p><p>"Uh, sorry, you're right. So how do we get to your place?" Ryuusei was silent, which made Reo very nervous. Maybe he did go a little far. He was going to apologize, but Ryuusei beat him to it.</p><p>"The way you played, it kept up with my explosions. And we're kinda the same too, but whatever-" he finished abruptly, playing a song with heavy bass and turning the volume way up.</p><p>The sudden noise and vibrations made Reo jump, but Ryuusei seemed to quickly get comfortable in his car, propping his feet up on the dashboard even, so Reo assumed he wasn't mad.</p><p>That, and there was a small, satisfied smile on his face.</p><p><br/>
<br/>
After a couple missed turns and various songs that made Reo fear for his speakers, they arrived at Ryuusei's house. It was on the edge of a forest filled with pine trees, seeming to have no end.</p><p>"Okay, we've gotta shut up right now 'cuz my parents are sleeping, alright?" Ryuusei whispered as he unlocked the front door.</p><p>Reo nodded and walked in his house quietly, trying to close the door with little to no noise. A bright light turned on, but it was just the flashlight from Ryuusei's phone pointing at something.</p><p>"Here's your bed, or better yet, the couch. I'll get you a pillow and a blanket, but," he paused for a minute to look Reo up and down, taking his time. "You want clothes to sleep in? Everything you're wearing looks uncomfortable as fuck. Actually don't even answer, I'm getting you clothes. Just wait here for a sec." Ryuusei left him alone and he tried taking a good look at the house to kill time.</p><p>It was a little hard for him to make out in the dark, but there were things scattered on the walls, shelves, from floor to ceiling, yet they all had their place. Organized chaos was the best fitting term to describe Ryuusei's place. His house looked... loved.</p><p>He was snapped out of his trance when Ryuusei threw some clothes at him, laughing quietly at how much he jumped. Though he was the one getting made fun of, Reo couldn't but want to laugh with him, it was contagious.</p><p>Then Ryuusei disappeared back into a dark hallway, leaving Reo to change out in the open. He didn't really want to, but didn't seem to have a choice, so he quickly changed before Ryuusei could come back. His clothes were super soft and so big, Reo was practically swimming in them. Looking down at them, he was wearing a shirt from a band he'd never heard of and flannel sweatpants. They were much comfier than anything Reo had in his closet, and he smiled softly.</p><p>"Having fun there, bun?" He froze up at the sound of Ryuusei's voice, which a smirk could be heard through.</p><p>"Y'know, you can just call me by my actual name, Reo." Ryuusei hummed and dumped a blanket and pillow onto Reo's face.</p><p>"Don't think I will, but thanks for the offer, my little purple bun." He felt his face heat up at the longer version of his nickname, but luckily the blanket covered his face. "Well, g'night. Don't bother waking me up when you leave, just go and don't worry about it." Ryuusei said, going to his room with a small wave.</p><p>There was no way Reo was just going to let things end like that. Sure, it was a little selfish of him, but he didn't really care. He wanted to get to know Ryuusei, even just a little bit.</p><p>
  <em>I want him to be mine!</em>
</p><p>"Thanks for this, Ryuusei. It means a lot." Reo thanked a little too loudly, pulling the blanket off his face. Ryuusei paused for a moment, turning his head like he wanted to say something in response.</p><p>"Don't mention it. Later, rich boy." Ryuusei finished, lacking the usual tease, leaving him alone. Something about his words left Reo a little unsettled, or rather, the way he said them.</p><p>He chose not to think about it and instead be grateful someone was nice enough to offer him, a total stranger, their couch. It didn't take him long to drift to sleep in such a comfy environment.</p><p><br/>
<br/>
Something lightly tapped against Reo's side, slowly waking him up after a good night's sleep. He opened his eyes and light flooded in, but a figure blocked most of it. A figure that held a wooden bat, ready to swing.</p><p>He swore his life flashed before his eyes.</p><p>Damn. That sucked.</p><p>Every cell in Reo's body jolted awake and he sat upright in a matter of seconds, though it was too much on him, as he got lightheaded not too long after. He tried ignoring his own issues and focused on the woman in front of him, whose tan skin and pale hair resembled Ryuusei's.</p><p>She loosened up a bit upon seeing her son's shirt on Reo and lowered the bat just a bit.</p><p>"I'm so sorry, um, I'll leave if you want, it's just, Ryuusei offered-" he tried explaining quickly and panicked, but got cut off by Ryuusei's mother gesturing him to get up and follow her.</p><p>Reo wasn't in any position to argue, so he stood up, no matter how much his headache screamed at him not to, and let himself be lead to a table.</p><p>"Sorry 'bout that, I thought you broke in. So you're one of Ryuu's friends?" she asked while taking a seat and letting go of the bat, grabbing a coffee mug waiting for her.</p><p>For the first time in his life, Reo actually tried putting his parents' training on being 'proper' to good use. Sure, he hated the fact that he had to use it, but the woman had just unknowingly lent him her house.</p><p>He told her about how they met on the soccer field nearby, their games, and how Ryuusei was a good practice partner. Reo purposely left out the part where he thought her son was hot, it was too early in the morning to be embarrassing himself anyways. They somehow got onto the topic of Reo running away, and he already knew what was coming.</p><p>"Really? What happened?" Kind of intrusive, but he had no right to determine what was 'intrusive' with her.</p><p>There was a part in Reo that wanted to tell this woman who'd threatened him less than twenty minutes ago his whole life story, and another part of him that wanted to avoid the question entirely, scared that she would call the cops on him.</p><p>"It's just my family, they're not really the best, so I can't exactly go home right now." Luckily for Reo, his shitty parents at least taught him how to be a people pleaser, so he could satisfy her curiosity and his need for privacy at the same time. Ryuusei's mom hummed in understanding and nodded.</p><p>"Mhm, that happened to our Ryuu too. He wouldn't come home for days because he was scared to, something personal that he probably wouldn't want me blabbing about. Try talking to your folks, okay?" Reo chose to ignore her suggestion, knowing that his parents wouldn't listen. More importantly-</p><p>Ryuusei had run away too? Is that what he meant by 'We're kinda the same'?</p><p>"Quit telling purple bun all my business, Mom. What're you still doing here, anyways?" Ryuusei said, coming out of nowhere. Reo turned around to face him and was met with a messy bedhead and clothes that didn't fit while Ryuusei took a seat next to him.</p><p>"I would've slept in longer, but..." Reo's voice trailed off as his mom lifted up her bat, which made Ryuusei laugh hard with his chest. His laugh sounded so full, like thick honey, and Reo forced himself to ignore his thoughts, he was leaving soon, damn it.</p><p>"Ah, don't think too much about it, bun! She does that a lot, like a rite of passage in a way." He put a reassuring hand on Reo's shoulder and he found it hard not to lean into his touch.</p><p>"I don't, you and your dad just bring home too many people for me to keep up with! Anyways, uh..." The way she and Ryuusei talked to each other was so free.</p><p>"Reo."</p><p>He wondered if he could ever have that kind of relationship with his own parents.</p><p>"Reo, where're you gonna go after leaving here?" she asked sweetly.</p><p>"Um, I don't know, actually. I was thinking maybe the nearest hotel, but that's out of town." Reo didn't expect them to insist on him staying or anything like that, but he wanted them to.</p><p>He zoned out for a moment, thinking about how wildly different their family was compared to his own. In their house, school photos going back to primary school leading up to the present hung on the widest walls, little trinkets were strategically placed around so that there wasn't too many or too little in any one place, a huge part of wall was painted with chalkboard paint and writings, notes, and reminders vandalized the space.</p><p>The way they talked to each other was almost like they were close friends, no lurking sense of fear for saying the wrong thing, asking the wrong question or anything. When his parents talked to him casually, Reo felt even more on edge, as that usually didn't mean anything good.</p><p>It was depressing that Reo felt more welcomed and at home there than in his own house.</p><p><br/>
<br/>
"Watch your step, roots are everywhere." Ryuusei warned, leading Reo through the pine forest in his backyard. He didn't know why they were wandering through on a beaten path, but it was nice to finally explore. At first it seemed like he was going to get kicked out as soon as he woke up, but Ryuusei suggested they go on a walk and Reo's been feeling like he was walking on clouds since.</p><p>He was curious as to Ryuusei's past, though. After hearing he'd run away too, new questions came to mind almost instantaneously. Why? What made him come back? Where did he go?</p><p>In a burst of confidence, he asked. "Hey, Ryuusei, why'd you run away? If you don't mind me asking." He stopped in his tracks, almost too quickly, causing Reo to almost run into him. Though he couldn't see the expression on his face, Reo had a feeling he'd overstepped a boundary. Actually, he was sure he had. The silence that surrounded them was so heavy, he could feel it weighing down his chest.</p><p>They stayed quiet for a minute, Reo's thoughts going a million miles a minute with 'what ifs' and regrets.</p><p>"You ask a shit ton of questions, bun boy." he finally answered jokingly, the tension evaporating as fast as it came. Ryuusei was so easygoing, it was astounding how he hadn't told Reo to fuck off yet. He liked that part of him. They kept walking for a couple minutes before arriving at what seemed to be their destination.</p><p>That soccer field they'd met at.</p><p>"Pretty sick, right? Quick walk through the forest and we're here." Ryuusei mused, like he was only finding out about it today too. The look of contentedness was one Reo had never seen on a person before, like he'd found his place in life and it was on that soccer field.</p><p>"One on one, right now?" He challenged, snapping Reo out of his thoughts with that smile that put his slightly sharp teeth on display.</p><p>"Yeah, sure!" </p><p>Reo wasn't going to lie to himself.</p><p>He was whipped.</p><p><br/>
<br/>
The score was 2-3 games in Reo's disfavor and he plopped down on his back, tired as hell.</p><p>"Maaaaan! You totally committed like... eight fouls or something." he accused Ryuusei, who was sitting next to him.</p><p>"Don't go blaming shit on me just 'cuz you lost, purple bun!" There he goes again with the nicknames, though Reo had no real problem with them, it was just, he wanted to hear Ryuusei say his name, even just once.</p><p>"I have a name, Ryuusei, even your mom told you to stop calling me that." Reo complained, no actual annoyance present in his voice. That was true, too. She'd apologized on his behalf, saying he's 'too dense to even remember his own name.' and they playfully argued for about five minutes afterward.</p><p>"You want me to call you your name, huh?" he asked, like he knew something Reo didn't.</p><p>"Yeah? Not like it's hard." He sat up and looked into Ryuusei's almost condescending eyes, a small glimmer of excitement in his own.</p><p>"Alright, Mikage or Reo?"</p><p>"What?"</p><p>How did he know that?</p><p>Ryuusei laughed a little bit, like it was some lighthearted joke between friends, but it wasn't. He'd known the whole time.</p><p>Yet he still helped Reo when he needed it. Why? Money? To brag? Blackmail? Some sick joke?</p><p>It felt like his own family name chained him back down to the ground, telling him he belonged there. He couldn't remember the last time anyone called him 'Mikage' because of how much he refused it, yet here it was, in the worst place possible.</p><p>He knew Ryuusei didn't mean any harm, but damn did he cause some.</p><p>"So you knew this whole fucking time?" His voice came out much more hostile than he'd intended, but that was the least of his problems. "What, did you think it would be funny to pity me? Or use me as blackmail or some other shit?" Ryuusei's lighthearted expression easily turned to one of worry, as it should have.</p><p>"Woah, bun-" he softened up, reaching a hand out to try and console, but Reo slapped it away.</p><p>"Just don't."</p><p>Reo got up and ran back into the forest, and to achieve what? He didn't really know. Run away from his family name again? Run away from Ryuusei?</p><p>Run, run, run. He was a fucking coward and lost in a forest.</p><p>He'd never hated the smell of pine more.</p><p><br/>
<br/>
Reo was propped up against a tree, taking a break from going deeper into the labyrinth that was the pine forest in Ryuusei's backyard. Everything replayed in his head over and over again. The first games they played against each other, how exhilarated he felt even if he lost multiple times, sneaking into his house at night, the time spent that morning together. The clothes on his back weren't his own and they felt like weights, trying their hardest to take him to the ground.</p><p>Remembering what was arguably some of the most exciting days he's had in years just made him angry now. Not at Ryuusei, no, he was mad at himself more than anything. How he let himself be so gullible, so easily manipulated.</p><p>How he was so neglected that he nearly fell for someone he'd met a single day ago.</p><p>Anyone could show him fake affection, give him attention, tell him sweet lies and he'd be smitten.</p><p>Reo felt like screaming into the sky, but that would be really suspicious and worrying, so he settled for his shirt instead. Well, Ryuusei's shirt. Not his.</p><p>Ugh.</p><p>He kept walking, hoping to find his way out sooner or later.</p><p>What was he even going to do once getting out of that stupid forest? Go back home? Beg his parents for forgiveness, tell them they were right about everything and give them exactly what they wanted? He'd run away in the first place to get away from their expectations, to live a little.</p><p>Well, he'd lived. And he hated how much he liked it, considering how hurt he felt.</p><p>The pine forest seemed impossible to navigate, almost like it was constantly luring him in deeper and with every step taken, he was walking right into its trap.</p><p><br/>
<br/>
It'd been about an hour since Reo started wandering and he seemed to be on the right track, given how he was walking on the beaten path again. Though he didn't know which direction he was going, at least he'd end up somewhere familiar when he came out.</p><p>On an unrelated note, he was so hungry. As soon as he got out of the forest, he was going to find the shittiest fast food chain he could find and order whatever was going to clog his arteries the most, paired with the largest soda size they carried.</p><p>"Reo!" A voice that yelled out his name pulled him out of his thoughts.</p><p>He ignored the sound and kept wandering around. It would probably be infinitely easier to leave if he'd just follow the nearby voice, the one that sounded like silk calling out his name-</p><p>"Fuck..." he muttered to himself as he kept walking, probably in circles at that point.</p><p>The crunching of leaves he wasn't stepping on seemed to get closer as he kept on.</p><p>"Reo, stop, do you even know where you are?" Ryuusei asked, grabbing his arm out of nowhere. Reo flinched at the touch and turned around to face him.</p><p>A beat of silence passed as they saw each other. "What do you even want from me? Money? Take it if you want, just leave me the fuck alone." He went to yank his arm away, but Ryuusei's grip only tightened.</p><p>"Look, I'm sorry, I didn't think you'd freak out like that. And I don't want your money, dumbass." He didn't seem to be letting go any time soon, so Reo physically relaxed, yet kept his mental guard up.</p><p>"So then what do you want? That's the only reason you helped me out, right? So I'd owe you?" A look of disbelief glossed over Ryuusei's eyes, like he was offended Reo would even think that lowly of him.</p><p>"No, what the hell? I've been where you are, is it so bad that I didn't want you to go through the same things I did?" he claimed, raising his voice.</p><p>His words only brought the same questions as before. "So you weren't just using me?" he asked cautiously.</p><p>"Again, no, I was just tryna get a little spook outta you, not find you lost. C'mon, let's just head back, you can cuss me out all you want then." Ryuusei let go of him and started walking ahead.</p><p>Reo quietly followed, still not quite comfortable with how things were. Every passing thought was screaming at him, telling him to turn around and never look back, to just go back home and kiss the ground his parents walked on as an apology and never live his own life again.</p><p>It was the smartest thing to do, but for some reason he felt like being stupid.</p><p>"The forest is really easy to get lost in, right?" Ryuusei asked, looking back to him, who said nothing. "Y'know what, that's fair. Well, you heard how I ran away from home. I camped out here in a hammock for a day before getting a place to stay. It's a shitty place to sleep, I'll tell you that right now, but it's comforting, in some twisted way."</p><p>He sounded so peaceful talking about what seemed to be his lowest, and Reo just couldn't understand. His curiosity was piqued though.</p><p>"Why're you telling me this?"</p><p>Ryuusei hummed for a moment before answering. "I know a ton of shit about you, figured we may as well be even. Plus, you asked earlier." That was true, maybe he'd asked too much.</p><p>"I left 'cuz I was scared my family was homophobic and I had just come out to them."</p><p>Oh.</p><p>He was right about what he said back in the car.</p><p>They really were more alike than they'd thought.</p><p>"I'm sorry too then, for lashing out. It's just, people using me is normal. Thought that wouldn't happen if you didn't know who I was." Reo apologized, looking anywhere but at him.</p><p>"Honestly, I knew since we met, you're not exactly subtle, y'know. I just went along with your little lie 'cuz you were good at soccer and nothing like those parents of yours." he confessed while dodging branches and overgrown roots.</p><p>"What about your folks? You guys seem good." Once he was getting lead through, the forest didn't seem to be as all-encompassing as it once did.</p><p>"Don't worry 'bout it, bun! We're alright, they've always been fine with me, I just like jumping to conclusions.  So I wasn't just 'using' you, honest. From one fucked up runaway to another, that's it." Ryuusei reassured with that smile of his. Maybe they could share more than just their experiences, Reo thought.</p><p>"So does that mean we're good?" he asked, walking beside Ryuusei.</p><p>"Yeah, if you wanna be."</p><p>Reo kept chasing.</p><p>"Then can I get your number?"</p><p><br/>
<br/>
"How're you gonna ask for my number when you don't even have your phone on you?" Ryuusei asked in a patronizing tone from the passenger's seat. That was a little slip up on Reo's part: his phone had been in his car, unchecked ever since he left yesterday morning.</p><p>"Okay, yeah that was kinda dumb, but to be fair I didn't want to deal with calls, alright?" he said with a light chuckle, digging around for it. A couple seconds and brushing over loose change, receipts and stray junk, and he fished out his phone, ready to open the 'new contact' page.</p><p>"It's dead."</p><p>"You're killing me, bun." Ryuusei deadpanned, despite there being a grin on his face.</p><p>Reo quickly plugged it in and started the car, wondering what to do. Then, a lightbulb went off in his brain.</p><p>"D'you wanna go out to eat? My treat, as an apology for earlier." That was sort of an excuse. He did want to make it up to Ryuusei, but he also had just found out he might have a chance with a guy he's only liked for two days.</p><p>"Oh, you're paying? I could get behind that." He propped his feet up on the dashboard, not caring about whether or not Reo had something to say about it.</p><p>It was the little things Ryuusei would do that made him all the more drawn to him. Getting far too comfortable in his expensive car, throwing things at/on him, pulling back a branch so it'd hit Reo, and laughing about it a second later. Everything he did would be deemed 'rude' and 'disrespectful' going by Reo's parents' standards, but he found it part of Ryuusei's charm.</p><p>Everyone says opposites attract. Maybe they're right.</p><p>They drove around, looking for places to eat and Reo got to know his city a little better, having to take backroads and shortcuts to get to where he wanted. Ryuusei was on aux again and his taste in music was actually really good, he realized. His playlist was a mix of bass heavy rap, fast paced girl groups, some metal even, and just about every genre Reo could think of and then some.</p><p>"Let's go there! I know a guy who works there, he was the reason I got eliminated from blue lock!" he yelled out over the music, pointing at a restaurant nearby. Reo turned down the music to focus better and- eliminated?</p><p>"What d'you mean 'eliminated', isn't that just a training camp?" The place Ryuusei chose was a drive in and Reo was a little excited, he'd never been to one before.</p><p>"Yeah, but it's fucking intense, the people running it are just as, if not more, insane than the project itself." He pulled into a spot and looked over the menu. It was pretty western, considering how half of it was meat of some sort.</p><p>"What're you getting? I don't know what to order." he asked as songs were quietly transitioning.</p><p>"Oh don't get the food, everything except the mozzarella sticks sucks." At least he was honest, Reo thought. "But their milkshakes... Talented, brilliant, incredible, amazing, show stopping, never been-" he cut Ryuusei off before he got the chance to finish his unnecessarily long quote.</p><p>"Okay you made your point. So, two rounds of mozzarella sticks and milkshakes?"</p><p>"Cherry milkshakes." The look in his eyes was completely serious, like he was telling Reo the secrets of the universe with credibility.</p><p>"Alright then?" he replied, a little confused before placing their order. Luckily the cost wasn't too bad as Reo couldn't have had more than 15k yen on him. Though he hated internally admitting it, working just above minimum wage did not do wonders for his bank account.</p><p>"So blue lock, crazy ass idea this girl Anri came up with to put three hundred forwards in one building..." Ryuusei started, a spark in his eyes.</p><p><br/>
<br/>
Their food came while he was in the middle of telling Reo how he'd almost gotten eliminated for the second time. Ryuusei had clearly calmed down a lot since blue lock, and Reo found it a miracle he was still alive considering how rude he'd been.</p><p>"Chestnut! Been a minute, huh?" Ryuusei teased with a devilish grin and a wave, yet the guy at his window looked mortified. He was a short kid with barely any hair on his head, name tag reading 'Igarashi'.</p><p>"U-uh, your total is 1,500 yen." he said, voice and hands both shaking as he handed Reo their food.</p><p>"Man, don't go telling me where you work and expect me not to pull up." At that point, they were talking across Reo, who just wanted to eat while the apparently shitty food was still hot.</p><p>"I didn't think you'd actually show up! This guy tried killing me twice!" The last part was directed at him, yet Ryuusei still interrupted.</p><p>"His fault for not being able to keep up with me, by the way."</p><p>"That's not a reason to try to kill me!"</p><p>Reo rolled up the window, giving a quick thanks to the poor kid Ryuusei had tormented. "Are you actually like that? You never tried fighting me." he noted while dividing up their food.</p><p>"Yeah, 'cuz you can take an explosion, that guy's just a weakling." Ryuusei insulted while taking a sip of his shake. There was that word again: explosion.</p><p>"What's that even mean, and why can I take one?" Reo shifted around so he was facing him head on while eating mozzarella sticks (that weren't shitty at all).</p><p>Ryuusei thought about it for a moment. "How do I put this... You're basically a jack of all trades, insanely balanced in every part of soccer, so keeping up with me wasn't really a problem for you." That was a high compliment coming from him, wow.</p><p>"Isn't being a jack of all trades usually a bad thing though?" he asked, trying to somehow downplay it.</p><p>"No? The quote goes, 'jack of all trades, master of none, still better than a master of one'. At least that's the way I see it. Better to be versatile and average than to be a loser who's only got one trick, right?" Ryuusei ate a mozzarella stick whole, like he hadn't just flipped Reo's whole worldview in just a couple sentences. "Anyways, what'cha think of the place? Good right?" </p><p>"Yeah, it is." That earned Reo a smile, one that said 'told you so'.</p><p>He didn't realize he wore one too, only with different meaning behind it.</p><p>"Unlock your phone for me, it should be charged now, right?" he asked, reminding Reo of why they were in his car in the first place. Grabbing it off the charger, he noticed something was wrong but didn't know what, so he didn't think much of it and handed his phone over.</p><p>"We're staying friends, got it?" </p><p>"Obviously, don't think I could get rid of you even if I wanted to," Ryuusei joked, smirking down while typing in his number. Even if he was just poking fun, Reo knew he didn't want to get rid of him, otherwise he'd have done it already.</p><p>He was having fun, even if his situation was less than ideal.</p><p>"Did you block your parents' number or something? You have no calls." Ryuusei pointed out, handing his phone back to see for himself. To his surprise, there really were no calls from anyone, not his parents, not a butler or a maid, not their assistants, no one. Reo frowned, trying not to jump to conclusions and get bent out of shape over something stupid.</p><p>"No, I guess they didn't bother. Whatever, you wanna go back to your place?" he asked nonchalantly, hoping to brush by the fact that his parents didn't care enough to even check up on him.</p><p>It hurt, of course, but he could just push it down like every other bad feeling he had.</p><p>"That's bullshit, you should do something to get back at 'em."</p><p><br/>
<br/>
And that was how Mikage Reo found himself driving to his family's estate with Ryuusei to probably give his parents a reason to disown him.</p><p>"I can't believe you convinced me to do this, you're insane," he said over the music, not meaning a word of it. Truth be told, Reo was really excited thinking about what he was going to do.</p><p>"You're even worse for agreeing without hesitation. We're pulling a stupid prank on your uptight billionaire parents, of course it's insane to you, that's the whole damn point!" he exclaimed, throwing a light punch at Reo's shoulder, making them both laugh.</p><p>Maybe it was all the adrenaline pumping in his veins, but Reo couldn't help but think that meeting Ryuusei was probably the best thing to have happened to him.</p><p>The roads got more familiar as loud music he grew to love kept playing in the speakers of his car. Canopies of trees hung over as they got closer and Ryuusei looked out the window, making offhanded comments about rich people. (Reo didn't mind at all, most of what he was saying was true anyways.)</p><p>"So your parents are like, actual billionaires, huh? This place is where you live?" he asked, not entirely believing it. Sometimes Reo would forget that living in a huge mansion on an even bigger plot of land wasn't exactly normal.</p><p>"Yeah, it gets old really fast though, getting lost 'n shit." There were so many times he'd gotten lost, that he stopped keeping count years ago. To this day, Reo wonders if he's seen every inch of his home.</p><p>"Wow I feel sooooo bad for you, that must be such a struggle, bun!" Ryuusei dragged out, being obnoxiously dramatic.</p><p>"Shut up, Ryuu! You're the worst." Reo didn't know when or why he started using a nickname, but there was no way he was going to stop anytime soon.</p><p>"The one and only," he replied, basking in the glory that came with the title of 'The Worst', a cocky grin on his face.</p><p>Though, their fun grinded to a halt as Reo pulled into his huge driveway, lucky enough to not have been spotted by anyone yet. He stepped out for a moment to get a good look around before motioning for Ryuusei to get out.</p><p>"Okay, just follow me. Right now they should be doing some business stuff over lunch, so we should be good to get in there," Reo whispered, leading him inside.</p><p>"Just so we're good, this was completely your idea, got it?" he whispered back, taking a hard look at the interior.</p><p>Ryuusei's eyes darted from the marble flooring to the imperial staircase to the chandelier to- Reo lost track after almost running into a pillar and decided to just focus on the task ahead of him: creating as much innocent chaos for his parents as possible.</p><p>"Yeah, most of this literally was my idea, stupid," he reminded Ryuusei. In fact, all he did was put the idea in Reo's head, everything from there was history.</p><p>Going up the stairs, he walked Ryuusei through his house to the kitchen on the second floor so they could grab as many cups of water they could carry without spilling any.</p><p>"This is pure evil, even I wouldn't do this-" he started before Reo shushed him.</p><p>"Shhh! There's no chickening out now, we're doing this, so don't worry about it. I'll take all the blame if things get fucked up, okay?" he reassured, filling up glass after glass. Ryuusei raised an eyebrow in disbelief, yet still helped him with the little scheme.</p><p>After grabbing their glasses of water and a pack of napkins, the two made their way to Reo's parents' office, which was just a quick walk down the hall and to their advantage, empty.</p><p>"Just set these wherever?" Ryuusei asked, setting his glasses to the ground, getting a nod from Reo as he did the same.</p><p>Repeating the steps in his head, he did as follows: napkin on top, good grip on the bottom, and flip it upside down onto the ground.</p><p>Reo gasped in excitement, grinning wide. "Ryuu look, I did it on my first try!" When he looked up at Reo, there was a moment where his guard was dropped before collecting himself.</p><p>In that short moment, there was a sickly sweet smile on his face, one that could almost be considered endearing. It was a side of Ryuusei he hadn't seen before, but would be far too eager to see more of.</p><p>Though, it didn't last long and what replaced it was that cocky attitude he was used to. "Good job bun, but I've already done all mine."</p><p>Reo decided not to bring it up and scoffed, "Showoff," before setting down his other cups. Just one glass of upside down water would be annoying enough to deal with, but he wanted to give his parents hell, so he went the extra mile and placed six total.</p><p>"This good enough?" Ryuusei asked, getting up and admiring their 'hard' work. (Barely two minutes of work.)</p><p>"Yeah, I'm just gonna scribble a note. Y'know, like a tag," Reo walked around the cups and grabbed a pen and notepad, writing 'lol sorry (not rlly) love u tho -ur beloved and cherished and appreciated son reo &lt;3'.</p><p>"That's lame, lemme write something," Ryuusei said, taking the pen out of his hand and adding his own flair. 'ur son is cooler than you -ryuu &gt;:P'</p><p>Skimming over the note, Reo quietly laughed to himself, thinking that they were being being childish. In his eyes, being childish was almost a luxury, seeing as how he didn't get to indulge in it very often due to his parents. He put the sad thought away and turned his attention to Ryuusei, who was waiting by the door.</p><p>"So, you gonna show me around, or you just gonna stand around?" he asked, like it was obvious.</p><p>"You wanna stay here?" Reo headed out, leading the way, "What happened to 'rich people are so boring' and 'this place looks like an Ikea', huh?" he quoted jokingly as Ryuusei examined his house and its rooms.</p><p>"Well I'm still right, but it's not every day I get the chance to walk around a billionaire's mansion, so may as well while I can." he explained, touching things like chiffon curtains and intricate wooden frames on paintings. Reo didn't really understand his fascination, not only because he grew up there, but also because no one had ever been to his house before. In fact, he wasn't supposed to have people over, but he also wasn't supposed to be there, so he didn't care and felt a little bold.</p><p>Maybe a little too bold. "You could, all you gotta do is ask." Ryuusei waited a moment before snickering to himself, seeming to think of the possibilities.</p><p>"What, is that a permanent invitation? I might actually hold you to that, y'know," he answered, sending an almost sly grin his way.</p><p>"I honestly hope you do. This place gets lonely as hell by myself," he noticed Ryuusei's expression falter just slightly, but decided not to make it too big of a deal as they approached his deserted room. "Anyways, this is where I usually sleep at night, though it's not impressive or anything." Reo opened the door and was greeted with his bedroom, in the exact state he'd left it in.</p><p>"Daaamn," Ryuusei awed, immediately heading towards the doors leading outside. "You have a balcony, no way!" Reo followed as he let himself out and thought the sight of Ryuusei admiring things he'd grown used to was charming. Like a kid let loose in a candy store with their parents' credit card.</p><p>He was dangling his arms over the railing when Reo made it out. "This is such a cool view, bun. Outside my window are just the woods and more woods." A perfect opportunity arose.</p><p>"Do you like the forest? I've been kinda curious about that for a couple hours," Reo asked, getting so close that they were touching elbows.</p><p>"Yeah, of course? I practically grew up there y'know," his gaze shifted over to the garden they were hovering over and continued, "Sure, it's fucking annoying to deal with sometimes, but it's a constant and that's all that really matters to me."</p><p>A constant, huh? Reo didn't really know what that signified, but it seemed important to Ryuusei, and he could wonder why. He simply nodded along and let the breeze blow in his face as they stood in silence. Comfortable silence, that is.</p><p><br/>
<br/>
It was late evening, Reo and Ryuusei slumped in hammocks they had set up in the pine trees, adrenaline all run out while they ignored the nonstop vibrating of Reo's phone.</p><p>"It'd be nice if we could just stay here forever, don'tcha think?" Reo wondered aloud, staring up at pink clouds as they passed by, as if in a daze. </p><p>"You sure sound hopeless," Ryuusei teased, turning to look at him, a smirk playing on his lips.</p><p>Maybe he was hopeless, he thought, seeing how his parents weren't going to change their ways anytime soon and he couldn't stay with Ryuusei forever.</p><p>"Probably am, I just wish I didn't have to go back, that's all. Not that I wanna keep intruding, but going home means kissing away some of the most exciting days of my life, because I'm definitely grounded for life." Staring at the palm of his hand like it held the answers to his problems, he sighed.</p><p>"What d'you mean, 'most exciting days of your life'? You're joking, right?" he asked, a sort of laughter coming out.</p><p>"Nope. It's been fun, but this might be as good as it gets." Maybe going back to his house was a bad idea, because all Reo could think of was how things were going to be when he went back.</p><p>He was bluntly reminded that good things didn't last.</p><p>"Didn't you say we were gonna stay friends? Don't go pussying out on me just 'cuz you're going back home." Ryuusei said, giving him a light kick. </p><p>Right, he had said that. It seemed like a good thing to say at the time, but getting faced with separation was a different thing entirely. Though, it's not like Reo didn't want to stay true to his little promise, he really did, but had no idea how to do actually that.</p><p>"D'you mean that? 'Cuz I was being serious." Reo sat up, facing him. The sun was almost entirely down and the moon and stars were visible at that point.</p><p>"Quit being insecure, it's depressing. And yes, trust me, if I wanted to use you it would've happened already." Ryuusei joked, getting up too.</p><p>Reo chose not to think about what that could possibly mean, and instead tried talking, getting cut off before he even got the chance.</p><p>"Don't. You talk a lot, bun, just chill out, alright?" They both laid back down in silence, only the sound of cicadas, crickets, and Reo's phone filling the air.</p><p>Even if he was told to shut up and stop overthinking, Reo's mind was speeding with thoughts of all kinds. How lucky he was to have been found by Ryuusei, to have gotten a friend out of such a bad experience. How selfish he felt when he wanted to be a little more, just for the sake of it. What would happen to him if he dared to pick up one call or answer one text.</p><p>For now, he'd put every thought away and enjoy the time he was spending with Ryuusei under the night sky.</p><p>Good things didn't last, so he desperately clung to them while he still could.</p><p>"I used to have this saying with someone, 'what happens under the moon, stays under the moon'," Ryuusei let out, like he was getting something off his chest. "You kind of remind me of them, in a way." Reo turned and looked at the blissful expression on his face, reminiscent of the one he wore earlier.</p><p>As usual, he couldn't understand, but this time around, he was okay with that. No prying questions came to mind and he didn't feel the want to understand so long as he was confident they were going to be okay.</p><p>That, he was.</p><p>"Let's keep this under the moon, then," Reo added, earning a hum of approval. That side of Ryuusei seemed to show itself at the weirdest times, Reo thought. Not that he minded, of course.</p><p>"You can crash another night if you want." Ryuusei offered, eyes still fixed on the sky. Reo was reminded of the first time he said something like that and laughed softly at the memory. Sure, he might've been the one who suggested it, but Reo knew he couldn't do that again, not only because it was intruding, but also because he needed to face his parents.</p><p>Reluctantly, he hopped out the hammock, getting Ryuusei's attention. "No, I can't keep running, y'know? Gotta go home at some point."</p><p>"Yeah, I get it. Alright, lemme walk you over at the very least." he sighed, getting out and grabbing the bag from the ground and leading the way.</p><p>So they, two former runaways, walked back to Reo's car in a shared quiet, yet slowly, as if to drag out their time together. He stood still at the door for a moment, keys in hand, wondering how to put his thoughts towards Ryuusei into words.</p><p>"Thanks, really-"</p><p>"Didn't I say you talk too much?" Reo was a little taken aback at his interruption, but still listened. "Relax, bun, it's not like we're never gonna see each other again, right? It's no big deal, just go home, Reo."</p><p>Despite him having to leave and go back home, where hell was probably waiting for him, he smiled. Ryuusei may have been a mystery, but that didn't stop him from getting attached.</p><p>And in a fit of impulsivity, Reo hugged him, as a silent thank you, goodbye, and everything else in between.</p><p>He seemed stunned for a second before hugging back, seeming to get the message. They didn't let go for some time, scared that if they did, time would resume again and reality would settle in. For the moment being, they were two boys making the most of their short time left together, spending it under the moon.</p><p>"You gotta go, bun," Ryuusei reminded him, whispering close to his ear.</p><p>"Yeah," Reo whispered back, waiting just a couple seconds longer before letting go. "I'll... see you, Ryuu." A smile was on his face, like the one he'd made back at the house, except Reo was meant to see it that time.</p><p>"Later, Reo. Text me when you can, got it?" Ryuusei said, opening the door for him. He nodded and started the car, finally cutting them off, and left, going back home.</p><p>The time he spent with Ryuusei and away from home may have been short, but it was still some of the most fun he'd had in a very long time.</p><p><br/>
<br/>
"-and you made a mess everywhere, I had to cancel a call because of your bullshit! Then the butlers are telling me you've been missing for a whole day only to bring someone else back? Haven't I made it very clear you're not allowed to have people over? Well?" Reo's father shouted, pacing around the office.</p><p>"Yes, you have, sir." he replied, completely monotone, standing at attention. Oh, how he didn't miss his father's beratings. It'd been a couple months since the last time his father shouted at him like that, and he'd almost forgotten what it was like.</p><p>"Then why would you?! I bet they're a bad influence on you, too. Whoever 'Ryuu' is, you're never allowed to see them again, that is final." As if he was going to actually follow the rules again. "You know we haven't been able to reach you since you left? Do you know how worried your mother and I were?" That's a goddamn lie, Reo thought to himself. "We didn't know where you were, how much money you had, where you were sleeping, nothing! Explain yourself!"</p><p>Reo cleared his throat, trying not to lose his shit. "I had more than enough money, and as for where I was, I was in a pine forest."</p><p>"A pine forest?" he asked through clenched teeth, practically fuming.</p><p>"Yes sir." There was no way he was about to throw Ryuusei under the bus like that.</p><p>"Get the fuck out, Reo. You're grounded until I say you're not." his father ordered, turning away. For a split second, Reo almost felt like doing what he said, just to get things over with quickly and stop his growing headache.</p><p>But, he ran away for a reason. That reason was standing right in front of him, unknowingly giving him a chance at confrontation.</p><p>"Don't lie to me father, you only started 'worrying' when I pulled a stupid prank. Up until a couple hours ago my phone has been silent, did you even know I was gone?" Reo asked in a sharp and accusatory tone.</p><p>"Are you talking back?" His rage could be felt through the air, sending a chill down Reo, but he wasn't about to back down.</p><p>"Yeah, I am. And Ryuu isn't a bad influence, he was actually with me the whole time I was gone, while you guys couldn't give less of a shit! Is it so bad I wanted to live my own fucking life a little?" he asked, raising his voice.</p><p>The look on his father's face was a confusing one. It was a mix of shock, anger, and overall irritation.</p><p>It was so satisfying to Reo.</p><p>"You're a goddamn disgrace to the Mikage name. Get out before I call security and they force you to." That was what made Reo actually listen. Security guards were far too rough to be dealing with anybody, especially him. But his father would always stand and watch them mistreat his son, seeming to get enjoyment out of it.</p><p>Reo stormed out of his parents' office and back to his own room, locking the door on the way. Instead of being angry or sad about how bad things were between him and his dad, he celebrated.</p><p>For the first time in his life, he'd stood up to his parents.</p><p>It wasn't much by any means, and they were definitely going to punish him for it, but he'd done it regardless.</p><p>The first thing he did was whip out his phone and text Ryuusei.</p><p><em>RYUU THIS IS REO I TOTALLY JUST TALKED BACK TO MY PARENTS</em>, he typed out excitedly, getting a response almost immediately.</p><p>
  <em>good job bun but go tf to sleep it's like midnight</em>
</p><p>Right, he hadn't even bothered checking the time. Reo laughed a little, sending another text.</p><p>
  <em>sorry if i woke you up lol i was really excited</em>
</p><p>
  <em>don't worry abt it you can tell me in the morning so gn</em>
</p><p>He smiled down at his phone, sending a quick <em>gn</em> and flopped face first on his bed.</p><p>What an eventful couple of days, he thought. Everything had happened so fast and yet so slowly at the same time, it was hard keeping up.</p><p>Though, he wouldn't trade those days with Ryuusei for anything in the world.</p><p>Reo fell asleep, thinking about when they'd be able to see each other again and how excited he was for it.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>-song notes-</p><p>i didn't use very many elements of the song, so this isn't much, but here:</p><p>070 Shake's song is her take on that folksong 'in the pines' or 'where did you sleep last night' , it's about a girl running away and sleeps in 'the pines', a metaphor for plenty of different things, but in this fic's case, <strong>loneliness</strong>. </p><p>i won't say much bc u should interpret this fic how u want, but there's a reason ryuusei lives on the edge of the forest as opposed to the seemingly obvious choice, reo.</p><p>there are a lot of different versions of the folksong, but i chose 070's version particularly bc 1. she's an amazing artist lol i love her stream modus vivendi 2. for the lines "I need to let go / But I don't wanna go out lonely / Right now I need to grow / And no one's gonna do that for me"</p><p>the set of lines really reminded me of reo needing to deal with nagi's abandonment and growing as a person on his own, and then meeting ryuusei: "But I don't wanna go out lonely"</p><p>i actually only had the forest part planned out and just wrote around it <em>scratches head</em> i put a lot of thought into it and everything else was just off the top of my head, but i did try incorporating other parts of the song into it even tho theres not much to go off of</p><p>also there's a direct ref to another one of her songs, Under The Moon skjdfhjsd listen to it if u want its also really good</p><p>-normal notes-</p><p>ahaha wow reo's experiences are so real and specific its almost like i projected onto him <em>a lot</em></p><p>anyways igarashi working at sonic drive in made me laugh so there he is</p><p>this took me like . far too long ksdjhfks i really tried making it as good as it can possibly be !!! fun fact there's actually a part of this that was super angsty that's over 1k words but i scrapped it bc they deserve to be happy</p><p>also ik this fic could stand alone and still be fine without mentioning its based off a song but IDC it actually did inspire me even if it's not obvious and i love it and the artist so much<br/> </p><p>anyways thank u so much for reading this fic and also these notes if you did! i really put a lot of care into both of these and it means the absolute world to me that u took the time out of ur day to read &lt;3</p><p>i'm on <a href="https://twitter.com/eucverse"> twitter!!</a> if you want to be mutuals/friends !!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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